Wire and cable for installation in residences and buildings typically comes on cable reels. The types of wire and cable so provided are numerous, including 110V three-conductor wire, “Romex”, and many different kinds of low-voltage, multiconductor insulated communications cable used for setting up Ethernet networks, intercom systems, entertainment systems, and the connection of security sensors and devices. A new building under construction will need many kinds of these cables, and several reels of cable will be used by an installer on-site.
One known technique for distributing cables is to provide one or more coils of cable in a box or carton, and to create a hole in a front and/or top panel of the (typically cardboard) carton for pulling out a desired length of cable. This conventional method has the disadvantage that the cable may kink inside of the carton or otherwise resist being pulled out of the carton as it is removed from the carton. As a result, the cable installer or technician can find that he or she is pulling the carton across the floor instead of receiving the necessary length of cable. The assignee of the present invention has developed a reel-containing carton described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2008/0191436 A1, the specification and drawings of which are specifically incorporated by reference herein, that ameliorates some of these problems.
Additionally, the cartons or reels of cable are often heavy and awkward to move around the job site. Since cable is often installed in cramped or tight working conditions, transportation of reels of cable is burdensome, inefficient, and possibly even unsafe if the technician strains his or her back while moving the reels. As a result, a need exists for an efficient, convenient way to transport reels or cartons of cable around the job site.